Dessert word search

Save room for this one. The dessert list runs from bakery basics like cupcake, brownie and cheesecake to frozen treats (gelato, sorbet, sherbet, sundae) and candies such as fudge, toffee, nougat and licorice. Desserts from around the world join in too: tiramisu from Italy, baklava, the churro and French favorites like the eclair, the crepe and meringue.

Several names hide a story. Tiramisu means roughly "pick me up" in Italian, a nod to the coffee in it, and éclair is French for lightning. A meringue is nothing more than egg whites whipped with sugar. A macaroon in the United States is usually a chewy coconut cookie, not the colorful French macaron sandwich.

Kids enjoy this theme as a reward puzzle at the end of a week, and it works as a spelling challenge for older students, since dessert words borrow freely from French and Italian.

Play tip: many words share an ending: -CAKE (CUPCAKE, SHORTCAKE, CHEESECAKE, FRUITCAKE), -IE (BROWNIE, COOKIE) or -Y (CANDY, JELLY). Once you have traced one ending, the same letter pattern elsewhere in the grid is a good lead. And remember that SUNDAE ends in -AE.